‘The American Economic Model Is Broken’
A new survey of U.S. household finances by British research firm Absolute Strategy Research suggests that Americans are not only pooh-poohing the notion that an economic recovery is at hand, they are becoming resigned to the fact that the longer-term...
Another Reason to Buy Apple?
Only joking, of course. But then again, it seems that all news is good news when it comes to the stock market -- right?
(Hat tip to Business Insider.)
A Familiar Pattern
While the two markets have loosely tracked one another -- which makes sense given that both are risky asset classes whose fortunes are closely tied to the health of corporate bottom lines and the economy as a whole -- the...
Another "Recovery" Story
From "Stories of Unemployment - The Recession and Unemployment," in the March 2012 issue of Esquire: Ninety-four weeks of looking for work. That's a lot of mornings to wake up with nowhere to be, no one waiting for you to...
The Facts Say Otherwise
Key gauges of manufacturing activity in three major economies -- the eurozone, China, and Japan -- have, for six months or more, been below the levels that prevailed at the start of the 2007 recession. While the U.S. counterpart remains...
The Big Shift
Here are two reports that underscore the long-term geopolitical shift that is currently underway (which happens to be a key theme of my third book, When Giants Fall): "Poll: Voters Worried US Falling Behind in Science" (The Hill) More than...
A Different Light
In "7 Reasons Why The Jobs Recovery Is Real This Time," the Associated Press details what I would consider to be the positive spin on a variety of economic and political developments [highlighted in red italic for clarity]. In the...
Cliff Dive
From Michael Krieger: Chart of the Federal Surplus/Deficit. A picture is worth a thousand words. USA! USA! Have a great weekend. Baaaah. (Image: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis)
Like You and Me
Well, well, well, it appears that the rich, to paraphrase F. Scott Fitzgerald, are not all that different from you and me [italics mine]: "Most Wealthy Americans Think US Is Still in Recession" (CNBC) Wealthier Americans aren't very optimistic about...
Bigger and Badder?
As the chart shows, consumer sentiment has loosely tracked monthly gains in nonfarm payroll over the past four decades, with two exceptions: the last two years, and the period marked by the end of the 1980 recession and the beginning...
Not So Encouraging
According to the conventional wisdom, data released this morning should be taken as an encouraging sign for the labor market. "US Worker Productivity Growth Slowed in Q4, Which Could Signal More Hiring in Coming Months" (Associated Press) U.S. companies will...
